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Google Allo released in 2016 also gave us the first glimpse at the App Preview Messaging feature. Later that year, Google also started an early access program to bring more developers on board. Fast-forward to 2020, and Google has no other choice but to permanently kill the App Preview Messaging feature.
There were no reports of any third-party developers implementing this feature in their apps in all these years. However, Google has enabled the App Preview Messaging in Google Allo, Duo, and Photos. While Google has already shut down Allo in March 2019, it might soon replace the Duo with Google Meet.
Google’s App Preview Messaging gets permanently disabled
As far as the users are concerned, the feature always felt more annoying than useful. According to Google, the App Preview Messaging is now officially deprecated. The company announced that the program is complete as of Q3 2020, and users can no longer send messages via App Preview Messaging.
Even though the official announcement just came out, the feature may have been removed a long time back. Furthermore, the settings related to this feature will be removed from smartphones in future updates. In addition, the company suggested that developers opt for Business Messages to add messaging capabilities to their apps.
The notifications always felt like spam
The App Preview Messaging basically allows Android users to send a message to their contacts using an Android smartphone. It works even if the recipient doesn’t have that particular app installed on their smartphone. The feature implemented through built-in Google Play Services on Android smartphones.
It sort-of brought cross-compatibility to the messaging apps on the platform. For apps like Google Duo and Google Photos, a notification pushed to signup for the service. For example, Android users can start a Duo video call with any contact from their smartphones.
The recipient will get a notification to install the app in order to start the video call with that specific user. Even with messages, users can’t do more than just responding to notifications. In order to manage or store messages, the user has to download the respective app.
Many Android users probably felt these notifications were spam. Without the app, the user has to go to the “Data & Messaging” sub-menu in the Google section within the Settings app for any task. For now, Google is pushing RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging to offer iMessage-like service on through default messages app on Android.


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What is the federal government doing to put you out of business? That is the question I often pose during meetings with Wisconsin businesses. Unfortunately, they always have an answer.
Under President Obama, the annual regulatory burden on Americans has increased nearly $73 billion — about $230 per person. Dodd Frank, the 2010 financial “reform” bill was 848 pages when passed. As of December, the regulations being written under its authority totaled 13,789 pages with only about half the rule-writing complete. These will require over 60 million man-hours of paperwork, by one estimate.
All the laws, rules and regulation increase labor costs for businesses. That means fewer people hired and more costs passed on to consumers. President Obama wishes to further increase the cost of labor by pushing a 39 percent hike in the minimum wage. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that as many as 1 million fewer people would have a job because of this. Prices for everyone would increase — including those left jobless by the increase in minimum wage.
Back in the real world, industry is innovating with automation in unexpected places:
“White Castle added two touch-screen ordering kiosks at a renovated restaurant in its hometown of Columbus, Ohio. It is the only restaurant in the family-owned, 406-unit chain to feature the kiosks, which are part of a pilot project. The large screens allow customers to order their burgers exactly as they like them in the privacy of the kiosk area, says White Castle vice president Jamie Richardson.
“McDonald’s is testing a similar system at a store in Laguna Niguel, California. Customers there can order from iPads at every table, choosing from among more than 20 toppings and sauces to create custom-made burgers that are grilled to order. Company representatives, who did not respond to requests for comment for this story, told Technomic in December that the kiosk test will help McDonald’s gauge how customers feel about the customization experience.
“Quick-service burger chains are following the rest of the restaurant industry’s lead, as several other concepts have jumped on the kiosk and tablet-ordering bandwagon. Both Chili’s and Applebee’s recently announced that they are adding tablets throughout their restaurants, allowing customers to order and pay at their tables.”
I’m a manufacturer. I’m all for innovation and productivity enhancement. I simply wish the productivity gains would occur naturally and not in a rush to survive what Washington imposes. That kind of forced change hurts both businesses and the Americans who work for them.
When will Washington stop trying so hard to put Americans out of business or out of a job?

domain: news


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Friday, November 6, 2009
Starbucks loses three of four items it appealed to National Labor Relations Board
The Seattle Times
by Melissa Allison
The National Labor Relations Board overturned one of the four items that Starbucks appealed from a decision that an NLRB administrative-law judge made against the company last December.
The decision involved stores in New York, where the judge said work rules were unfairly imposed on employees who supported the union. The coffee chain was ordered to give back jobs to three former workers and compensate them for lost earnings. The company also must post notices informing employees of their labor-organizing rights.
Starbucks appealed four of the judge's numerous decisions, including the ones involving the three discharged workers and a decision against its policy allowing employees to wear only one union button while they're working.
In a ruling on Oct. 30, the NLRB stood behind the judge's decisions on three of the issues up for appeal but agreed with Starbucks that Isis Saenz, who was discharged in October 2006 from her job as a barista in Starbucks' 57th Street store, should not be given back her job.
The board upheld the judge's decision regarding former barista Daniel Gross, an organizer for the Industrial Workers of the World's Starbucks Union. "It's a tremendous victory," Gross said of the board's decision. "It's a big boost to our members all over the country and to new baristas, who we're talking to every day."
Starbucks released a statement saying it is reviewing the ruling to determine its next steps. "While we are pleased with the portion of the ruling in our favor, we are concerned with other parts of the decision and will explore an appeal," the statement said.
Posted by Wobblybarista at 1:55 AM


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There are rumblings that GM is going to be named as sponsor of the Doral tournament. Last year was the first year that GM wasn't a sponsor of a golf tournament in decades.
GM will be using its Cadillac brand, which makes sense as it markets to high worth folks, and those folks play golf.
It's good to see a few companies coming back to golf as sponsors. Good for the game and I hope it means a positive outlook for the US economy.


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Always Free To Place a Hit On Someone
The global fuel additives market size is projected to reach USD 12,117.8 million by 2028, exhibiting a CAGR of 5.8% during the forecast period. Fortune Business Insights™ shares this information in its report, titled “Fuel Additives Market, 2021-2028”. As per the report, the value of the market stood at USD 7,701.0 million in 2020.
Fuel additives help vehicles perform better, reduce carbon emissions, and increase fuel efficiency. Governments across the world are implementing emission norms for the automotive industry to reduce the carbon footprint from vehicles. For instance, the government of India has introduced a new Bharat Stage (BS) 6 norm for all the carmakers operating in the country. Such norms are projected to propel the adoption of these additives.


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The Southern African Tourism Services Association (SATSA) annual conference is set to kick off in two weeks’ time, running from July 23 to 25. The theme, 'Transforming Geographical Spread', is a broad umbrella under which esteemed speakers within the tourism industry will be unpacking various aspects.
Here’s a snapshot of who you can expect to see at the conference.
Alex Granger – programme director
Granger is the CEO of The Possibility of You, a niche mentorship and coaching business, which also offers leadership workshops, as well as courses in high performance and sales. He is also the CEO of Metro Conference Centre, a Global Business Speaker, and author of three books.
Tony Romer-Lee – SATSA Chairperson
Co-founder and managing partner of PMR Hospitality Partners, Romer-Lee is well respected in the hospitality sector, having worked at the Bay Hotel, Singita, Cape Grace, One&Only Cape Town and most recently, serving as CEO for The Collection by Liz McGrath.
David Frost – SATSA CEO
Appointed CEO of SATSA in 2013, Frost is a trained economist, with an extensive background in public and private sector strategy. Prior to joining SATSA, he was founder and Managing Director of The Tourism Strategy Company; was Special Adviser to past South African Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Pallo Jordan, and later to past Minister, Valli Moosa, and led the process of establishing the vibrant public–private partnership that currently underpins and funds tourism in South Africa. He has worked across a number of organisations over the years, and been a driving force for tourism in the country, including developing growth strategies for KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, Zambia and Inhambane province in Mozambique, amongst others.
Romer-Lee and Frost will do the welcome and introductions for the conference.
Monika Iuel – Private Safaris Southern Africa
CEO of Private Safaris Southern Africa, Iuel has worked as General Manager: International Marketing of SA Tourism from 2010 to 2014, prior to which she worked for nearly eight years as Sales and Marketing Director at Your Africa, a division of Tourvest.
Iuel will be discussing pricing: to do we move away from the boom-bust model, which will interrogate whether travel/tourism-related pricing in Africa is too expensive. Unpacking two camps of thought: the inflationary era which says pricing will do what it does; and the second camp which says we are pricing ourselves out of the market. Iuel will moderate a panel of speakers on this topic, which includes Craig van Rooyen (Tour d’Afrique), Lindy Rousseau (Singita), Martin Wiest (TDM), Neil Bald (aha), and Ryan Powell(andBeyond).
Ryan Powell – andBeyond
Powell is the sales and operations director of andBeyond, a luxury experiential travel company that offers exclusive safaris and experiences in Africa, Asia and South America. Powell manages the global multi-channel sales and operations of the organisation, and has in excess of 20 years’ experience in sales and marketing.
Sisa Ntshona – South African Tourism
Ntshona is the CEO of SA Tourism, and former Head of SME Banking for Absa/Barclays Africa responsible for the Enterprise Development strategy, operations and activities as well as the development of competitive and innovative propositions for emerging Small and Medium-size Enterprises across 12 countries in Africa.
Ntshona will moderate the discussion on Transformation: informing the SATSA agenda, which will include, on the panel, Ashley Wentworth (Stormsriver Adventures), Collin Thaver (SATSA Board sub-committee on transformation), Pieter Geldenhuys (PG Tops Travel and Tours), Tshifihiwa Tshivhengwa (Fedhasa), and Zoe Molapisi (By Design Africa Group).
Pieter Geldenhuys – PG Tops Travel and Tours
Founder and owner of PG Tops Travel and Tours, a boutique Cape Town day trip and Garden Route operator, Geldenhuys is also a tour guide, and has been in the tourism industry for over a decade. Prior to that, he was a part-time academic at Lehigh University in Bethelehem, Pennsylvanina, and a lecturer at the Institute for Hospitality Training Cape Town.
Mqondisi Gumede – The OMG
Founder and CEO of The OMG, Gumede has international experience in marketing, travel and tourism, and domestic experience in the construction fields with experience as both client and agency executive.
He will be heading up a panel discussing infrastructure and product development: underpinning geographical spread. On the panel is Darryl Erasmus (TGCSA), Gillian Saunders (Special Advisor to the Minister of Tourism), Nomasonto Ndlovu (Limpopo Tourism Agency), Shamilla Chettiar (National Department of Tourism), and Tim Harris (Wesgro).
Tim Harris – Wesgro
Harris is a well-known industry figure, and the CEO of Wesgro – Tourism, Trade and Investment Promotion Agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape. Having previously served as a Member of Parliament and Shadow Minister of Finance for the Democratic Alliance (DA), Harris also sits on the board of the Cape Town International Convention Centre, the Cape Town Film Studios and Business Process Enabling South Africa (BPESA).
Otto de Vries – ASATA
CEO of the Association of Southern African Travel Agents (ASATA), de Vries has over 30 years’ experience in the travel and tourism industry. He has been involved in managing businesses, start-ups, business transformation and projects, with extensive experience in operations, sales and marketing and a well-rounded background in contract management and product development. His current focus is on travel and tourism industry advocacy and industry relations, with government and private sector stakeholders.
De Vries will be moderating a panel discussion on the POPI Act and EU Legistlation, with a panel including Louis Nel (Corporate Legal Advisor), Illana Clayton (Travel Smart Crew), and Elizabeth de Stadler (Novation Consulting).
Elizabeth de Stadler – Novation Consulting
Founding director of Novation Consulting, and co-founder of HeyPlainJane, de Stadler is also the chairperson of the IAB SA Regulatory Affairs Council and an authoritative knowledge source for ethical digital marketing and consumer law. Co-author of Commentary to the Consumer Protection Act, de Stadler has written chapters on the Consumer Protection Act in The Law of Contract in South Africa and The Law of Commerce in South Africa.
Karen Terrell-Kramvis – Sun International
Group General Manager, Sales and Contact Centre at Sun International, Terrell has been with the company for nearly 20 years, and has much knowledge of the fast-paced hospitality industry.
Terrell-Kramvis will be moderating a panel discussion on the future of roadshows: maximising your marketing spend, with a panel that includes Abby Swartz (SA Tourism), Derek Houston (Houston Travel Marketing Services), Hanneli Slabber (SA Tourism) and Jacqui Reynolds (On Show Solutions).
Derek Houston – Houston Travel Marketing Services
Houston is the Managing Director of Houston Travel Marketing Services (HTMS), a brand that assists the African tourism industry to effectively promote itself in both local and global markets. For over two decades, HTMS has delivered Spotlight Travel Workshops, Expos and Roadshows, which have provided a platform for travel suppliers to introduce and market their products throughout Africa and Europe.
Belinda McIntyre – Tsogo Sun
McIntyre is the General Manager for International Sales and Marketing at Tsogo Sun Hotels. She is highly experienced in the sales marketing arena with a demonstrated history in the hospitality industry, both locally and internationally.
McIntyre will be moderating a panel discussion on South African tourism global trade strategy: how we reap maximum synergies, with panellists Bradley Bouwer (SA Tourism), and Margie Whitehouse (SA Tourism).
Thembe Kunene-Msimang – RETOSA
The Regional Tourism Organisation of Southern Africa (RETOSA) has had Kunene-Msimang as its acting CEO since March 2018. With over 18 years’ experience in executive management in the tourism sector, Kunene-Msimang has headed up Tourism Services at Cape Town Tourism, the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA), and was a member of the EXCO at South African Tourism (SAT). She currently serves on the Boards of Stenden South Africa, iCandi-CQ as well as Brand South Africa.
Kunene-Msimang will be moderating a panel discussion on regional cross-selling: positioning SADC in the global marketplace, along with panellists Blacky Komani (Tourvest), Chris Roche(Wilderness Safaris), Mateus Tembe (Femotour), Rob Moffett(Ongava Game Reserve), and Ross Kennedy (Africa Albida Tourism).
Blacky Komani – Tourvest
Komani has a deeply-rooted history in the tourism sector, having been involved in the industry for over 30 years, and is currently the CEO of Tourvest Ground Duty Free. He is the former marketing director of American Express Foreign Exchange, and a long-standing member of the group’s board and executive committee.
Chris Roche – Wilderness Safaris
Chief Marketing Officer of Wilderness Safaris, Roche has worked in the eco-tourism industry since the mid-1990s as a guide, guide trainer and conservation ecologist for well-known ecotourism operator, andBeyond. Chris has been with Wilderness Safaris since 2005, in various marketing and sustainability teams, and is involved in projects that at expanding into new countries and ecosystems in Africa.
Mateus Tembi – Femotour
Tembe is the Executive Director of the Mozambican Tourism Federation, and the Economic Advisor at the former president Joaquim Chissano’s Foundation in Mozambique. With over 15 years’ experience in programme management experience in Mozambique and abroad, Tembi has consulted with diverse national and foreign companies and organisations for cooperation projects.
Rob Moffett – Ongava Game Reserve
Moffett is the General Manager for sales and marketing of Ongava Game Reserve, and a trustee of the non-profit Save The Rhino Trust working in partnership with communities in the remote North-West. His knowledge is rooted in the safari sector, and his interest in tourism is how it can be leveraged to generate the maximum advantage for wildlife and rural community outcomes.
Adrian Gardiner – Mantis Collection
Creator of the Shamwari Game Reserve, Gardiner is the founder of the Mantis Group – an empire of over 40 game reserves and luxury hotel groups across the globe. The Mantis Group’s global footprint of properties is in the process of being expanded, using the lessons that Gardiner has learned during the course of his career to educate, support and develop major conservation tourism projects worldwide.
Gardiner will be moderating a discussion on the Eastern Cape: unlocking geographical spread, with panellists Craig Smith (New Frontiers), Mandlakazi Skefile (Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism), Nopasika Mxunyelwa (ECPTA), and William Ross (ECTour).
The conference will be taking place at the Boardwalk Hotel in Port Elizabeth. Attendees are advised to register soon to secure their places. For more information, visit the SATSA website.


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‘Found it at Vinnies’ - Yass Vinnies auctions off precious items for those in need.
This Saturday Vinnies will be hosting a live auction involving treasures found at stores, with all proceeds going to support people doing it tough this Christmas.
Some of the items up for auction include Vintage Star Wars Lego, jewellery, antique furniture, indigenous art, vintage clothing, a pink retro musical car and more.
After a traditional Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony, Mayoress Rowena Abbey will open the event, with Auctioneer Steve Scroope ready to knock the gavel.
‘Not only is it an important event for the local community as they demonstrate strength in a time of need, but it is also a great opportunity for Canberrans to experience the spirit and community Yass has,’ said Lindsay Rae, Director of Centres for Vinnies Canberra/Goulburn.
‘The day will be full of friendly faces, enviable items and a sausage sizzle provided by the local Lions club. What more could you want for a Saturday?’ said Lindsay.
Participants can register as a pre-bidder by visiting the Vinnies Yass location, calling the shop on 6234 7451 or upon arrival on the day. Both cash and EFTPOS will be available on the day.
The Vinnies Yass auction will be a COVID-safe event, with a dedicated marshal to ensure that protocol is being followed.
The St Vincent de Paul Society has faced challenges to their operations this year. Beginning with helping those affected by the bushfires to changing services and delivery methods to ensure companions were looked after during COVID-19.
With the relaxing of restrictions and heading into the festive season, Vinnies wants to ensure that everyone feels loved and supported.
“Christmas already puts pressure on families that are experiencing difficulties. Besides the normal stressors of bills, food, rent payments and more, there are the added difficulties of paying for a Christmas meal and presents to celebrate with some normalcy,” said John Feint, President of the St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn.
This festive period, Vinnies will need to provide more food and financial support than ever before. Vinnies in Yass knows that people are in need and are rallying the local community to help those needing a ‘hand-up’.
What: Found it at Vinnies Auction
When: Saturday 12th December 10.30am
Where: Mt Carmel Quadrangle
The order of events is as follows:
9.30-10.30 am: Preview of Items at the School
10.30 am: Auction commences
10 December 2020


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Following Microsoft’s recent spending spree on advertisements, Apple released a new batch of ads that poke fun at Microsoft – and all the cash they spent on their campaign.
Apple put out a series of eight advertisements which focus on a variety of topics, including the computer of choice for college students, vista, and Microsoft’s spending habits.
This set of ads is just the latest in the back-and-forth between Apple and Microsoft. While Microsoft’s ads attracted a LOT of attention (due to their off-subject topics and the appearance of Jerry Seinfeld), Apple’s have been much more too the point, and illustrate the key issues that many consumers have with their PCs.
Check out the ad above (which I enjoyed most), or click here to see the other seven advertisements.


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As Triggertrap pulls plug on Ada kickstarter, CEO Haje Jan Kamps responds to comments from unhappy backers
Despite a successful round of funding through Kickstarter, Triggertrap has run into difficulties developing its Ada prototype and has announced that it will not be continuing with the project. As of November last year the company had raised nearly £300,000 (about $461,000) in crowdfunding for its latest innovation, Ada - a high-speed shutter and flash trigger.
It was designed to launch with four different sensor options and would have also included a timelapse mode, HDR photography mode, Star Trail mode and an acceleration mode for timelapse. In reality, Triggertrap spent too much money developing its prototype and software. Unable to afford production costs and failing to find other financial sources, Triggertrap has put an end to the product and will be offering backers partial refunds.
CEO Haje Jan Kamp spoke with us about the reaction he's seen from the projects backers. Some had voiced concerns that the company wasn't doing enough to fund its own failure. Kamps responds to this by pointing out the obligation the company has to its existing customers. Says Kamps:
'When we ran our first Kickstarter campaign in 2011, we had nothing to lose. We raised $77k from almost 1,000 backers, and we were going to deliver Triggertrap v1, come hell or high water. At that point, we weren't a business: We were a project. The Kickstarter money was our project budget. And if we had failed to deliver on that project, we would have been able to liquidate every asset to try to deliver the product or refund our backers. We delivered late on that project, but ultimately we did deliver, and that success sparked Triggertrap to life as a company.
'...we had to make a really difficult call: Are we going to attempt to deliver Triggertrap Ada in the knowledge that we would almost certainly go bankrupt as a business?'
'Today, things are very different indeed. Separate from our Kickstarter project, we developed and launched Triggertrap Mobile in 2012. In other words: we're no longer just a project - we are a company with hundreds of thousands of customers in more than 120 different countries. This meant that we had to make a really difficult call: Are we going to attempt to deliver Triggertrap Ada in the knowledge that we would almost certainly go bankrupt as a business? The answer to that was no: Failing to deliver to our 2,000 Kickstarter backers would also mean letting down all our other customers, who are currently out there, using Triggertrap Mobile to take timelapse videos, sound-triggered photography, and are actively creating amazing photography.
'So, we had to figure out what we could do for our Kickstarter backers, and ultimately thought about it this way: If this was our first project, what would we do? We - in one of the hardest meetings we've had at Triggertrap - decided to pull the plug, and to give back everything we can: The things we've learned along the way, the things we've developed so far, and the remaining funds.'
In addition to the funds left for the project, Kamps states that the project's source code and schematics will also be released to its backers. Commenting on the response from some backers who felt they'd been strung along, he voiced his sympathy:
'I completely understand that people are angry and frustrated, and we expected to get some visceral responses; I've backed a lot of Kickstarter projects myself, and sometimes they don't deliver, or deliver something a lot less than what was hoped for.
'We let a lot of people down, and I'm losing a tremendous amount of sleep over that.'
'Ultimately, though, that's the power of Kickstarter: You're not just placing an order and waiting for a product to arrive; you're part of the highs and lows of bringing a new product to market. You're making products possible that wouldn't otherwise exist. You're helping entrepreneurs take insanely big risks to follow a vision for a product. They often succeed (Pebble, Form 1 printer, The Coolest), but sometimes, they fail. In Kickstarter's own words, "Some projects won't go as planned."
'Even with a creator's best efforts, a project may not work out the way everyone hopes. Kickstarter creators have a remarkable track record, but nothing's guaranteed". To my horror, I'm realising that we are that project. We let a lot of people down, and I'm losing a tremendous amount of sleep over that.'
An update posted to the project's Kickstarter page gives more detail about what went wrong and refund options for backers.
LEE Filters has launched the LEE100, its next-generation filter holder that improves the design and looks in all the right places.
With the arrival of some much-needed sunshine and final production firmware for the Panasonic S1, we've been able to get outside and really start putting the camera through its paces.
Importing, culling and tagging photos is about to get a whole lot faster and look a whole lot better with the impending arrival of Photo Mechanic 6.
On its own, the FTZ adapter retails for $250 and when bundled it dropped the cost to just $150. Now, Nikon is offering it for free with all Z6, Z7 purchases in the United States.
Profoto said it spoke with Godox back at Photokina 2018 and continues to contact Godox in an effort to stop it from marketing its V1 light.
Product renders in Italian publication Notebook Italia show an unusual design that conceals all cameras with the help of a slider mechanism.
Canon says its new EF 400mm F2.8L IS III and EF 600mm F4L IS III lenses can suffer from an intermittent flickering when shooting video in M or Av modes with certain cameras.
Leica recently announced the Q2, a digital rangefinder with a fixed 28mm F1.7 lens. It's a heck of a lot of fun to shoot with, but is it right for you? Based on our time with the camera, and its specifications, we've examined how well-suited it is for common photography use-cases.
Now that our Panasonic Lumix S1R has final firmware, we couldn't wait to get out shooting with it - and we also tried the high-res mode, which combines files to get 187 megapixel images. Because sometimes, 47 megapixels just isn't enough.
DroneShield has announced a partnership with NASCAR to use its trifecta of drone-disabling technology at events held at Texas Motor Speedway.
In this article, travel and landscape photographer Mitch Green encourages us to spend more time in the the field.
the lens lacks any electronics whatsoever and is constructed entirely of glass and metal. Of course, that comes at the expense of weight — this thing weighs in at 1.1kg / 2.43lbs.
Drones can be useful tools in urban areas, where they're utilized for everything from news reporting to building inspections, but flying in these areas requires careful preparation. Here's what you need to know to do so safely.
Hasselblad has released a new cable release and USB double battery charger for its X1D medium format camera .
After a report published by NBC News, Flickr has taken heat for allegedly letting IBM 'scrape' photos for use in its facial recognition datasets. But the problem isn't what it seems on the surface.
Samyang has announced the impending arrival of the AF 85mm F1.4 FE lens for full-frame Sony cameras.
Some Photoshop shortcuts are simple and obvious. Others, not so much. Here are 15 shortcuts that are actually useful.
Twitter has redesigned its in-app camera for easier access from the timeline screen.
Independent cinema lens manufacturer SLR Magic has announced it will offer all of its existing MicroPrime range in the Fujifilm X mount and has even created a Fuji-specific 12mm lens.
We've updated our buying guides with three more cameras: the Canon EOS RP, Nikon Z6 and Olympus E-M1X.
CFexpress 2.0 cards will come in three different form factors, each of which will offer different maximum speeds.
Lensbaby has added a third tilt lens to its Optic Swap system, this time a 35mm lens, adding to the existing 50mm and 80mm options.
Sigma has released firmware updates for a number of its lenses as well as its EF-E adapter to address various errors and features with Canon, Nikon and Sony cameras.
We've added the Fujifilm X-T30 and Sony a6400 to our 'Best Cameras under $1000' buying guide. These two mirrorless models pack in a lot of features for just $900 body only.
Instagram, Facebook and other Facebook-owned services are down for users around the world.
Think Tank Photo has unveiled its new Vision series of shoulder bags, including the Vision 10, Vision 13 and Vision 15.
The OPPO Reno series will be launched on April 10 but some details have already been spotted on the web.
Insta360 has unveiled its latest camera, as well as a new VR headset app and a specialized smartphone cover that makes it possible to view 3D video on standard smartphones.
A fresh crop of ready-for-anything compacts has been added to our buying guide – just in time for Spring Break.
At the Hydrogen One launch RED promised a range of bolt-on modules designed to expand the device's feature set. However, there is now doubt if those modules will ever be released.


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During Amazon Prime Day 2016, the world’s largest online retailer sold 600 items per second. Tomorrow, Alibaba will try to break their record of connections during its 11.11 shopping festival. Concurrently, 2016 was a record year for data breaches with +40% vs last year in the USA alone.
Mazars is pleased to share the key results of a pulse survey on the ‘Risks and Opportunities in Ecommerce’, conducted together with the Global Ecommerce Association.
Panel and Methodology
Last summer, almost 300 professionals from 45 different countries across +10 sectors responded to a pulse survey. The majority of the panel comes from Europe and Asia-Pacific, with a peak of respondents coming from Paris, Shanghai, London, Barcelona, Milan and Rotterdam, and working in the retail industry.
5 Key Takeaways
- 42% of respondents see the ecommerce market growing even stronger than the current high speed pace (+17% in 2017)
- 66% of respondents say the impact of ecommerce on their sectors will be strong/very strong
- Local customer expectations and legal and regulatory issues are among the top challenges to go abroad
- Only 16% of respondents score their company’s culture as ‘agile enough to make the necessary changes’
- Competition, Cybersecurity/Data Privacy and Digital Reputation are among the top global risks
All key learnings from the report are highlighted in the below infographic. For deeper insights and data, download the Global Ecommerce Report 2017, devised by the Ecommerce Foundation and sponsored by Mazars.


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Kendall Jenner Stars In Mango’s ‘Tribal Spirit’ Spring 2016 Campaign
After napping models Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne for Fall 2015 ads, Mango tapped “social” model Kendall Jenner for their Spring 2016 ad.
Jenner is starring in the brand’s “Tribal Spirit,” the first of the four separate themes that make up the Spring 2016 campaign. The fashion chick will model the collection, which is inspired by the African savanna, and includes a tribal print dress with a high slit, and a leather fringe minidress.
It really bothers me when brands use African-inspired themes in their campaigns and runway shows, but don’t use any Black models. That doesn’t makes any sense to me!
Valentino‘s Spring/Summer 2016 ad campaign features White models in Black girl cornrows (see it here).
Famed fashion photographer David Sims shot Mango‘s campaign in a London-based studio last month.
The brand is organizing their marketing strategy to be as close as possible to the strategy of the product.
“We are organizing our marketing strategy to be as close as possible to the strategy of the product,” said Mango vice president Daniel López in an interview. “We are creating and detecting and launching trends very quickly on the sales floor. And we’re also shooting the campaigns with the trends that we will have in the stores in that relevant month.”
He said the celebrity that will star in each campaign will reflect “the relevant trend” for that month.
As far as why they chose Jenner, “We thought that she was the best model to embody this trend. And obviously the upside with that is that, as a model, she’s very professional, she works fantastically. As a celebrity she has huge repercussions in the market and among her followers.“
Photos Credit: David Sims for Mango


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Cheap Canadian Drugs
There has been an increasing demand in the United States for cheap Canadian drugs. Prices for prescription medicine in the U.S. are among the highest in the world. People who require regular medication can find that they can not afford the drugs they need. Accordingly, they turn to cheap Canadian drugs. The savings can be high, with people saving as much as 80% on the price of their prescription medicines.
Why are Canadian drugs cheap?
The drug companies in the U.S. have tirelessly campaigned against not only price-controls for prescription drugs but against the importation of cheaper drugs from elsewhere. Their motive is not greed, they say, but to raise the finances necessary to research, discover and produce new and more effective medications. Currently the cost of manufacturing prescription drugs is low but the cost of research into new drugs is high. Without the revenue from prescription drugs, new research can not be funded.
Canadian drugs are cheaper to buy because the prices on prescription medicines are fixed. This does not mean that the drugs themselves are necessarily inferior to U.S. produced medications. As we have already noted, the manufacturing costs for medications are low, and so cheap Canadian drugs do not mean that costs are cut in production. In fact, Canadian drugs are regulated by Health Canada, a similar organization to the U.S. regulatory body, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
How popular are these cheap Canadian drugs?
According to a poll carried out on behalf of The Wall Street Journal in 2006, over 80% of Americans agree that it should be legal to import drugs from Canada that have been approved and vetted by Health Canada. The survey also discovered that more than one in ten Americans have purchased prescription drugs from Canadian pharmacies.
How to purchase cheap Canadian drugs
There are three ways to obtain prescription drugs from Canadian pharmacies. The first is to actually visit a pharmacy in Canada and buy the medication over the counter. The second is to order the drugs you require through a mail order service. The third, and increasingly popular method, is to go through an online website.


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Forward Fashion (International) Holdings said it was collaborating with Macau’s upcoming Treasure Island Resort World Hotel to build a new luxury shopping and entertainment center, including the city’s first Galeries Lafayette, a French premium department store.
The resort, which will not include a casino, will cover a total area of 8,100 square meters with 600 hotel rooms. It has a five-story shopping mall, outdoor swimming pool and hot spring as well as other amenities.
The property was originally being developed by Genting Hong Kong, which sold off a 50 percent stake in November 2020 to a local investor named Ao Mio Leong to raise funds to help its ailing cruise business, which has since applied for bankruptcy protection. The purchase price was HK$750 million ($96.7 million), with the buyer also granted options to increase the holding.
Genting, which missed out on the bidding for the first round of casino concessions, had been expected to seek permission to open a casino at the resort.
Oliver Tong, general manager at JLL Macau, which is the leasing and marketing consultant for the project, told Macau News Agency that national policies are not very supportive towards large-scale gambling. “Small-amount gambling is fine, however, the central government still hopes that Macau can develop a more diversified local tourism, promoting different aspects of Macau.”
Macau’s first Galeries Lafayette is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of this year. Forward Fashion also said it will introduce five other brands that cover fashion, sports, entertainment and catering, including a UFC Gym. Also making its debut will be the Five Guys burger restaurant.
“Treasure Island Hotel Macau will serve as a benchmark for a new era in Macau,” Forward Fashion founder and chairman, Patrick Fan said. “We are excited to introduce top international brands to the hotel, which will demonstrate our advantages in international branded fashion retailing and our success in business diversification, and thus further strengthen our internal business ecosystem.
The cooperative arrangement will not only create greater room for development and more market opportunities for both parties, but will also play an important role in fostering development of Macau’s tourism and retail industries.”


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Uber Inc. has just hired the two hackers responsible for remotely hijacking a Jeep in a security demonstration earlier this year to head up their driverless car security research team.
From the minds of an MIT lab team, a new device that allows for complex 3-D printed objects using 10 different source materials, which itself was created from off-the-shelf parts, pushes the 3-D printing technology further along.
Your phone could last almost a week with a new technology from a British company, allowing your phone to be recharged once a week through an internal hydrogen-fuel cell.
An Apple a day keeps users happy and loyal but, with a new program from Samsung, would users be willing to rent a Samsung device for 30 days for a dollar?
With changes on the horizon for Firefox, the company, Mozilla, hopes to not only speed up the review process for extensions based on the API centric system in place in browsers such as Chrome and Opera but also include compatibility with their extensions and allow cross-platform extensions.
Google is taking a page out of Facebook’s manual and presenting users with nostalgic flashbacks from photos uploaded over time.
Mozilla announced on Friday that it would overhaul the way developers can create add-ons, allowing greater compatibility for extensions built in Chrome.
Giant robot battles used to be a thing of myth and fantasy, lived out only in anime, books, or video games. Now, an American company hopes to rise to the challenge issued to Japan over the summer in a fist-to-fist machine battle.
Mozilla is working on development of a browser tool that could easily help to block third party software companies from viewing your browsing history, making a truly private surf of the web possible for everyday users.
Microsoft is releasing a cumulative update for all Windows 10 machines, which means all previous updates are included in it, Hoping to fix all the store issues it has been having.


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The dust is falling on the ground.
On April 17, the unveiling ceremony of TCL Industrial Holdings (Guangdong) Co., Ltd. was held in Huizhou TCL Technology Building (hereinafter referred to as TCL Holdings). This marks the official appearance of the brand-new TCL Holdings after the restructuring of the group.
This is the best explanation for the market and the most desirable answer for the market. As the fastest growing brand in China’s color TV industry, the performance of TCL TV in the world in 2018 is amazing. Sometimes, restructuring is important to live better.
TCL Holdings gives the market a perfect explanation
TCL Holdings has made the best interpretation of its good performance.
In the first quarter of 2019, TV sales data showed that TV sales in the first quarter increased by 32.5% year-on-year to 8.443 million units, a record high in a single quarter. Among them, the sales volume of TV sets in overseas markets increased by 50.9% year-on-year to 5.95 million units, accounting for over 70% of total sales.
In the market performance of the global color TV industry in the first quarter, TCL is the best, in the same market, bringing more imagination space to the market. Even TCL has already left Samsung, LG, and Sony far behind in terms of growth rate.
In 2018, TCL achieved operating income of 113.36 billion yuan, which was flat year-on-year; net profit was 4.07 billion yuan; of which, net profit was 3.47 billion yuan, and it increased by 30.2% on the basis of a 66.3% increase in net profit in 2017.
When these positive factors are added together, TCL would usher in the best time in history. The official landing of TCL Holdings on April 17 means that TCL Holdings will have a better boost in future business models, globalization and technological innovation. At the same time, TCL Holdings’ future strategy is clearly visible.
Li Dongsheng, chairman and CEO of TCL Group and chairman of TCL Holdings, said TCL Holdings wanted to achieve the corporate vision of becoming the world’s leading smart technology group, focusing on four core application scenarios for families, individuals, travel and the community, and was committed to providing users with the most outstanding intelligent and healthy life products and services.
No one doubts TCL’s vision and strategic vision as in the past few years, TCL’s product structure optimization and adjustment has laid a good foundation for TCL’s present and the future.
For example, in terms of a product structure optimization, TCL TV continues to increase the proportion of sales of mid-to-high-end products. The proportion of sales of smart TVs increased from 77.6% in 2017 to 84.4% in 2018; 4K TV sales accounted for 2017. 26.4% rose to 39.6% in 2018.
Product sales are just in front. Behind this, TCL is building a global ecological platform through the development of the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence.
TCL has never advertised that it is a big man, and has never been willing to give pointers to the country. TCL is like a silent leader with a pragmatic character.
A real amnesty requires a voice in the international market. Today, TCL has successfully taken the first step and become the second largest global color TV sales.
After decades of use, TCL has made an amazing leap with continuous innovation. This is actually one of the signs of becoming a big hit in the home appliance industry.
The growth of TCL is obvious to all, and it is so open. It never slanders others but is constantly accumulating, including experience, technology, brand, marketing, and other aspects, which played a decisive role for TCL Holdings to take the second step.
Three expectations of TCL Holdings
The establishment of TCL Holdings is not a simple structural adjustment. It is actually the best time for a second venture. TCL Holdings brings three expectations to the market:
The first expectation is to empower AI x IoT. TCL Holdings will accelerate the transformation and transformation and form a new capability of AI x IoT for smart technology and the Internet of Things. AI × IoT is to meet the diversified and intelligent scenes of users, and more to reflect the needs of users, IoT device functions and AI capabilities to create a rich scene of exponential growth.
The second expectation is to improve profitability. TCL Holdings needs to improve asset operational efficiency, improve product competitiveness, and significantly increase profitability. The essence of improving profitability is that TCL Holdings has a sound ecological chain and technological innovation capability, and is attacking globalization with all categories. What’s important is that TCL has more brand premiums and brand value by building its own brand, which is a key part of improving profitability.
The third expectation is digital transformation and global operations. TCL Holdings will accelerate its digital transformation and enhance its technological innovation, intelligent manufacturing, and industrial infrastructure capabilities; it will consolidate and strengthen its global advantages and open up more stable overseas niche markets.
For example, the TCL Intelligent Factory, which is on the way to digitalization, uses digital twin technology to open up physical and digital factories, enabling pre-production rehearsals, monitoring, and diagnostics in production, and post-production evaluation and optimization.
From this perspective, the digital transformation will also help TCL achieve higher yields and obtain more profits from the main business.
In terms of globalization, TCL is even more important. With a set of data, we can prove the trend of TCL globalization.
It is expected that by the end of 2019, TCL will launch a total of 134 official sites worldwide, and use it as an important platform for product information release, brand display, after-sales service, community management, and traffic integration.
In addition to technology, brand, and channel, TCL’s growth lies in his tolerance. For example, cooperation with Xiaomi.
Xiaomi has a perfect ecological chain, but it is a first-grade primary school student in the home appliance industry. Without core technology and production advantages, TCL in the process of cooperation with Xiaomi, make full use of technological advantages, production advantages and service advantages, to empower Xiaomi, thus making Xiaomi become an Internet home appliance brand.
These strong pieces of evidence prove the strength and mind of TCL. Even this is one of the important links in the TCL construction ecosystem.
The past few years TCL played the first inning of the play, now with the current venture it is playing the 2nd inning. With a brand, product, technology, channel, prestige, and global advantages, TCL Holdings’ expectations for the market are very high.
However, that’s TCL’s character. Until there is no result, they are different from other rivals who are good at singing and marketing showbiz, they will take every step firmly. Every step which is sound.
The goal of TCL Holdings’ “Second Start-up” is that within five years, TCL Holdings will achieve an operating income of more than 200 billion yuan, becoming the leading smart technology industry group in China.
This is the mission and vision of TCL Holdings and the future at its fingertips.
[Blue Technology] Luo Shi


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An affiliate of A.C. Development Corp. in New Rochelle paid $3,225,000 for 200 E. Main St., a two-story, 15,000-square-foot retail building in downtown Mount Kisco, according to brokers at Admiral Real Estate Services Corp. in Bronxville.
John Barrett, head of investment sales at Admiral, and Joan Simon, Admiral’s senior director of leasing and sales, represented the undisclosed seller, described as a longtime investor in both New York City and Westchester. Deed documents filed with Westchester County list David Gold as managing member of the selling parties.
The buyer of 200 E. Main acquired it in a 1031 exchange, Admiral brokers said.
Simon spent three years leasing up the property to prepare it for sale. In a press release, she said the mid-block building “has a huge upside due to its very strong location and the pending lease up of a large nearby retail store that formerly housed national book retailer Borders.”
Bankrupt Borders Books and Music in 2011 vacated its 21,500-square-foot space at 162 E. Main St. in Mount Kisco. The property reverted to a lender in 2014 after the building’s Connecticut owner defaulted on a $6.3 million mortgage.
Barrett said there was “substantial interest” in and multiple offers on the retail property. The sale and other recent deals show that buyers “are leery of ultra-low cap rates” on multifamily properties outside the New York City boroughs and are “diversifying their real estate holdings by asset class and location,” he said.


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The I-10 Fleamarket and Fair is scheduled to open in El Paso, TX this March, with room for up to 500 booths and 1600 parking spaces, as well as permanent restrooms and a community stage, the El Paso Times reports. 50 vendors have already expressed interest, and the market will also feature rides for children and a variety of food booths such as funnel cakes and cheese-stuffed meatloaf. Developed by local cowboy and western boot manufacturer and retailer Cowtown Boots, the estimated total cost of bringing the market to fruition is $250,000.
Quality Merchandise and Entertainment
While some city representatives were initially skeptical about the idea of the flea market, David Hatton and Joe Calcaterra of Cowtown Boots convinced the city of the quality of the market and have pushed forward to ensure they will be open by the spring. “We wanted to bring something here that was more than just your typical flea markets that you see throughout town,” Hatton told the El Paso Times. “We wanted to provide plenty of parking space, vendor options and food options. Most flea markets are just something that is put up in a parking lot — and we wanted to do more than that.”
For more information, call 915-772-1883.


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The rest of the story -- Skype is apparently at the center of the eBay/Google co-opetition shift.
A critical aspect of the deal announced yesterday is that Google will introduce a feature that allows users to talk to advertisers by way of Skype, instead of just clicking through to the advertisers’ Web sites. Users of this feature, called click-to-call, would also have the option of using Google’s own Google Talk system or standard telephones.
Source: EBay Gambles on Google Partnership for Success of Skype, the Internet Phone Service - New York Times
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Hosting, cloud, and acceleration services for web content and apps
Rackspace, a provider of cloud computing services, is offering Akamai‘s web acceleration and cloud optimisation services as part of its dedicated and cloud hosting portfolio, under a new strategic alliance.
Under the agreement, Rackspace will integrate key features from Akamai CNAMEs, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), and CDN delivery for Cloud Files into its service to provide scalable online storage for files and media.
The alliance is expected to create a one-stop shop for hosting, cloud, and acceleration services for web content and applications.
The integration of Akamai’s services into the Rackspace product portfolio addresses four common challenges such as latency, availability, scalability and security for moving organisations businesses into cloud or into hosted environments.
Akamai application and site acceleration vice president Willie Tejada said the strategic relationship for Akamai and Rackspace is aimed at helping their enterprise customers realise the full potential of cloud services from the data centre to the end-user.
"By combining two offerings for application hosting and cloud acceleration, Rackspace customers can gain improved performance, security and reliability for their Web-based applications," Tejada said.


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This New Uber Update Will Make Your Rides Even More Expensive
If you're living in a major American city, chances are you've used Uber at least once.
For those of us who aren't rolling in the dough, it's quite a luxury, and public transit is often the more financially responsible choice.
Based on a recent blog post from product managers Maya Choksi and Ryan Fujiu, it looks like things are going to remain this way, as a new update could cost the price of Uber rides to become even more expensive.
The post said,
Paying drivers for waiting past 2 minutes: Your time is valuable, so it's frustrating when riders run late or cancel when you're already at the pickup location. We've been trying something new: paying drivers for wait times that exceed two minutes. In the cities where we've been testing this, we've seen that riders are more likely to be prompt. We'll be expanding the policy to a dozen U.S. cities this month, with more coming soon.
Long story short, if you're more than two minutes late to your Uber ride, the fare will have already begun. It might be time to discover the lost art of walking.
This move is reportedly meant to appease Uber drivers as the company faces scrutiny over how it treats them. Uber considers its drivers to be their own bosses and not employees.
But, many drivers have taken issue with the fact they aren't classified as employees, as it denies them benefits and employment protections, and Uber has faced lawsuits because of it.
So, while this new update might make your Uber ride more expensive if you're known to be unpunctual, it could also mean drivers earn more money. There are pros and cons to every change in life.
Citations: Uber Newsroom


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By James Davey
LONDON – British retailer John Lewis reported sharply lower annual losses on Thursday and restored its staff bonus, saying its recovery is gaining momentum, but cautioned that inflation would weigh on the outlook for 2022.
Sharon White, the former Treasury official and telecoms watchdog who now chairs the employee-owned John Lewis Partnership, said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had worsened an already difficult inflationary backdrop.
“Clearly it is building in more inflation in probably a more permanent and more systemic fashion,” she told reporters.
The partnership, which runs John Lewis department stores and Waitrose supermarkets, would tackle the cost of living crunch for its customers by doubling efforts to be “the go-to brands for service, quality, sustainability” while “increasingly thinking about the value proposition”, she said.
However, the 158-year-old group said it had raised some prices this year.
The partnership has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic but is now in recovery mode, registering a pretax loss of 26 million pounds ($34.3 million) in the year to Jan. 29, versus a loss of 517 million pounds in 2020-21.
Profit before exceptional items rose 38% to 181 million pounds and a 3% bonus will be paid to its 80,000 employees, known by the company as “partners”. The bonuses are equivalent to one and a half weeks’ pay and total 46 million pounds.
White is in the second year of a five-year recovery plan. She has closed stores and cut jobs but is investing 1 billion pounds in its online operation and store improvements, seeking more partnerships and diversifying so that 40% of profit comes from outside retail by 2030.
She is seeking efficiency savings of 300 million pounds a year by 2022 and targeting annual profit of 400 million pounds by year five.
The group cut costs by 170 million pounds in its 2021-22 financial year.
Total partnership sales rose 1% to 12.5 billion pounds, with John Lewis increasing sales by 4% to 4.93 billion pounds, with Waitrose sales down 1% at 7.54 billion pounds.
“The turnaround, the transformation of the partnership, is very much on track,” said White.
Exceptional charges of 161 million pounds were booked, mostly for restructuring costs, property lease exit costs and a further small writedown on the value of John Lewis stores.
The partnership has committed to paying the voluntary Real Living Wage nationwide and has set this year’s pay review at 2%.
($1 = 0.7583 pounds)


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It’s a lengthy piece that is worth reading in its entirety — though it may put you off eating raw veggies for a while — and we couldn’t do it justice by trying to summarize it here, but we did pull out some of the more salient points:
1. The FDA doesn’t do anywhere near the amount of inspection you might think it does:
In 2011, the FDA inspected 6 percent of domestic food producers and just 0.4 percent of importers. The FDA has had no rules for how often food producers must be inspected.
Instead, most “inspections” are done by third-party auditors who use guidelines crafted by the biggest name in food retail and agriculture.
2. Third-party inspectors often only check what they’re told to check:
A former auditor for a third-party company tells Bloomberg that auditors often award top safety ratings without ever testing for bacteria at production facilities, and that sometimes the auditors don’t even look at areas that they claim on their reports as safe.
“Most companies won’t let third-party auditors look for pathogens,” says the auditor. “They don’t want your results shutting them down.”
Adds a professor of food safety at Kansas State University, “Right now, what we have is hidden. The third-party auditor stickers and certificates are meaningless.”
A scientist at a lab that does testing for the FDA says that third-party auditors sometimes go by checklists provided by the very companies they’re supposed to be inspecting.
“If you have a program for adding rat poison to a food, the auditor will ask, ‘Did you add as much as you intended?”’ he explains. “Most won’t ask, ‘Why the hell are we adding poison?”’
3. Some third-party inspectors don’t seem to understand the meaning of the word “superior.”
Bloomberg found several incidents where a third-party auditor had given a company a clean bill of health shortly before that company being tied to an outbreak or recall.
There was Wright County Egg farms, which was tied to a recent massive recall of eggs, and which was rated “superior” twice in 2008 and four times in 2009. And then in June 2010, an auditor’s “Recognition of Achievement” states
the farm “was found to have fulfilled the requirements” of the auditing company’s standards.
Funny, because by then, the CDC had already been tracking the salmonella outbreak that would ultimately be traced back to Wright County.
And in Aug. 2010, only a few weeks after getting a glowing review from the auditor, the FDA found “Live and dead maggots too numerous to count.”
4. All these reports of food poisoning aren’t just media hype:
The rate of infections linked to foodborne salmonella, which causes the most illnesses and deaths, rose 10 percent from 2006 to 2010… The U.S. had 37 recalls of fruits and vegetables in 2011, up from two in 2005.
5. The FDA has tried to get more funding to do inspections:
In 2008 the agency asked to quadruple its budget for inspections to $4 billion, but the food industry lobby eventually won out, with the enactment of the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act, which wil allow the FDA to certify private companies to audit producers of imported food, but does nothing to improve inspections here in the U.S.
6. The boards of some third-party auditors are peopled with executives from client firms.
Bloomberg gives the example of one auditor — the same one that gave the “superior” ratings to Wright County — that has given the thumbs up to plants that should have failed. Executives from Flowers Foods Inc. (my beloved Tastykake) and Grupo Bimbo (Entenmann’s), Sara Lee and Wonder Bread have served on its board.
“There’s a fundamental conflict,” says former FDA commissioner David Kessler. “We all know about third-party audit conflicts. We’ve seen it play out in the financial world. You can’t be tied to your auditors. There has to be independence.”
7. Since private audits don’t result in any reports to the FDA, problems can go unseen for years:
Nestle USA has its own inspectors for its vendors and twice, in 2002 and 2006, the company refused to use Peanut Corp. of America as a supplier after Nestle inspectors found rodent carcasses and pigeons in one of that vendor’s plants.
While that was all well and good for Nestle and its customers, since Nestle’s inspectors didn’t have to tell the FDA about their findings, Peanut Corp. continued on. It even got a “superior” rating in 2008 from an “independent” auditor.
Of course, in Jan. 2009, FDA inspectors actually visited the plant and found dead cockroaches in a washroom and water stains from skylights above a packing line, resulting of a recall of every single one of Peanut Corp.’s products for the previous two years.
8. You should really, cook that ground turkey to the recommended temperature of 165 degrees:
Salmonella is so common that Wal-Mart accepts ground turkey after tests find 49.9 percent of samples have bacteria. That’s the maximum allowed by law. Costco rejects shipments with any trace of salmonella.
You can check out the entire article at Bloomberg.com.


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‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Gets China Release Date; Local Poster Unveiled
China will feel the Force just a few weeks after the U.S. does. Disney said today that Star Wars The Force Awakens will open January 9 in the Middle Kingdom. J.J. Abrams’ more-than-moderately anticipated sequel bows December 18 domestically.
The release-date news comes in the wake the fantastic Chinese debut of The Martian, which collected $50M in its first frame to best the starts of such films as Gravity and Interstellar.
“We are thrilled to bring Star Wars: The Force Awakens to China on January 9,” said John Hsu, newly appointed General Manager, Studio at the Walt Disney Company, China. “We’re excited to be rolling out our marketing campaign and to connect with new fans in China through Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
Starring Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver and John Boyega — along with Star Wars original Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill — The Force Awakens also got a new post for the territory today. Check it out:


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HomeAdvisor is branching out beyond home project recommendations to helping contractors manage their business operations, too.
The Golden-based company acquired a majority stake in Mhelpdesk, a startup that makes online business management technology for home repair professionals, HomeAdvisor Inc. announced Tuesday.
Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
Fairfax, Virginia-based Mhelpdesk brings both technology and growing business to HomeAdvisor. Mhelpdesk, which employs 30 people in Virginia, is adding 1,000 home improvement contractors a month to its cloud-based business management software.
“In our view, Mhelpdesk is both the clear leader in its space and the perfect fit for the HomeAdvisor marketplace,” said Chris Terrill, CEO of HomeAdvisor. “This acquisition is part of the continuing transformation of HomeAdvisor into the leading marketplace for homeowners to hire local home services and for home service professionals to market and manage their businesses.”
Mhelpdesk’s software will be available to HomeAdvisor service professional members starting in January, the company said.
The move is intended to differentiate HomeAdvisor from competitors. Formerly called Service Magic, HomeAdvisor has a database of 80,000 screened and consumer-reviewed home repair professionals as well as services to help consumers design and price home projects.
Home-improvement chains Home Depot (NYSE: HD) and Lowe's (NYSE: LOW) have added online services helping consumers find home improvement contractors in the past three years. Contractor review site Angie’s List became a publicly-traded company in 2012.
Expanding into business management technology for small- and medium-sized contractors will help HomeAdvisor stand out by being the first service to help contractors get leads on new business, manage projects and schedules, and invoice work, too.
“It’s what the local home service industry needs,” said Vincent Wong, CEO of Mhelpdesk. “It’s a no-nonsense approach to helping them grow their business.”
Mhelpdesk will remain an separate operation based in Virginia. It aims to hire another 70 employees by the year’s end, the company said.
HomeAdvisor plans to hire several salespeople in Golden, expanding on HomeAdvisor’s staff of 500 sales people, and provide other resources to help Mhelpdesk grow.
HomeAdvisor employs 800 people at its Golden headquarters and 1,200 worldwide. The company was formerly called ServiceMagic, and it’s owned New York City-based IAC/Interactive Corp. (Nasdaq: IACI).


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One of the reasons our GDP has increased is because of almost £10 billion extra being included to account for the sex and drugs trade estimated to be worth some £5.3 billion and £4.4 billion respectively.
The issues uppermost in the mind of Prime Minister David Cameron are the consequences of the possibility of a yes vote in the Scottish independence referendum and how to react to the truly shocking events in Iraq.
The Birmingham Post, Floor 6, Fort Dunlop, Fort Parkway, Birmingham, Huddersfield, B24 9FF
Birmingham Post.co.uk provides users with news, interviews, credible business information, expert in-depth analysis, the latest on executive property, career opportunities and reviews on the region’s culture.
birminghampost.co.uk is ideal for reaching affluent consumers - 83% of users are in ABC1 groups.
birminghampost.co.uk encourages user interaction through business leader opinion from each major industry and email newsletters.
The site also features picture galleries including the popular ‘Post People’
For more information on digital advertising visit Trinity Mirror Midlands


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According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 1 in 3 senior citizens dies with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, half of whom are likely to lose weight as a result of the disease. As dementia and Alzheimer’s develop, they often affect the eating habits of those who struggle with the disease, thus potentially leading to issues of malnutrition. A new food-inspired diffuser could aid in triggering the appetites of patients with dementia and other ailments.
Ode is an electric diffuser that can be set on an automated cycle to diffuse food-inspired scents like beef stew, chocolate cake and fresh grapefruit, to provide sensory stimulation and promote an appetite. It sounds simple, but it’s all scientifically proven. According to the website, the smell of food stimulates the nervous system, which later causes your stomach to produce acid (gastric juices) to break down the meal to come. The production of gastric juices further promotes hunger, thus increasing the desire to eat. According to Ode, “often in dementia the sense of smell and taste reduce, so meals become dull and unappealing. Ode’s food fragrances are formulated to be stronger and help compensate in these situations.”
Currently ode offers a set of two menus (tasty and traditional), each of which encompasses three fragrances designed for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In an interview with Carehome, Ostrom noted that the company is set to introduce more fragrances stating, “Lots of people want personalized menus, and want to choose their own scents. We’ve also seen that customers like to swap scents in and out of their device more frequently (the original idea was that you could leave ode running for a couple of months and not have to touch it), but people like subbing in different scent bottles more frequently.”
If you have a loved one who suffers with issues of malnutrition or suppressed appetite, ode could be just the thing you are looking for. In a recent 11-week study, ode founders tested the impact of the device on 50+ individuals living with dementia and found that 50 percent of the participant gained weight.
For more information on ode and the effects of fragrance in patients with dementia, refer to myode.org.


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The National Association of Realtors (NARS) reports that in June, housing starts jumped 17.3 percent to an annualized rate of 1.19 million, the highest level since March. Both single-family and multi-family starts were robust. New starts were still 4 percent below June of 2019, but that was much better than the 26.3 percent and 20.3 percent year-over-year declines in April and May, respectively.
A sluggish U.S. housing market is staging a recovery amid the pandemic, shaking off high unemployment and a rising number of infections as buyers with pent-up demand seize on record-low mortgage rates.
Sales of previously owned homes rose 20.7 percent in June over the prior month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.72 million, the biggest monthly increase on record going back to 1968. The surge in existing-home sales follows other recent bullish indicators such as rising new-home sales, robust home-builder activity and a flood of mortgage applications.
Even with the jump in home sales, monthly activity remains well below levels that were seen before the spring lockdowns. June sales marked an 11.3 percent decrease from a year earlier. Many potential buyers remain on the sidelines, concerned about job security or the health risks related to visiting homes.
Factory output increasing
The Federal Reserve reported that factory output jumped 7.4 percent from May, while still contracting 11 percent from June 2019. Because the factory sector was in a recession prior to the pandemic, the level of output is still quite low, but the fact that production has jumped over 11 percent the last two months is a good sign.
Durable goods rise
Orders for long-lasting U.S. factory goods rose in June as the economy continued its climb back from disruptions related to the coronavirus pandemic, though a summer surge in virus infections could damp future gains.
New orders for durable goods, products designed to last at least three years, increased a seasonally adjusted 7.3 percent in June from the previous month, the second consecutive monthly gain, according to the Commerce Department.
The auto sector was a big driver. New orders for motor vehicles and parts jumped 85.7 percent from the previous month.
Underlying figures were more modest. New orders for nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for business investment, rose 3.3 percent.
Even with two consecutive monthly gains, demand remains well below pre-pandemic levels. Overall, new orders last month were 15 percent lower than in February, and core capital orders were down 3 percent.
Tonnage jumps in June
After dropping 1 percent in May, the American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index increased 8.7 percent in June, equaling 115.3 compared with 106.1 in May.
While the good anecdotal freight reports for July seem to be progressing in a positive manner, there is still concern that freight could slow as more states reinstate restrictions due to increasing Coronavirus cases.
Compared with June 2019, the index dropped 1.3 percent, the third straight year-over-year decline, but the smallest in the last three months. Year-to-date tonnage is down 2.4 percent compared with 2019’s numbers.
Spot Truckload Rates Defy Expectations
In the week ending July 26th, Load posts on the DAT One load board network are still elevated for this time of year, with freight networks disrupted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. That's pushed truckloads that would normally move as contract shipments over to the spot market, with spot rates climbing during a time of year when we'd normally see declines in prices.
National average rate per mile for dry vans:
June $1.81 per mile
July $2.03 per mile
Spot truckload freight rates remained elevated last week despite a slight decline in freight volumes and a modest bump in capacity compared to the previous week, said DAT Solutions, which operates DAT One, the industry’s largest electronic marketplace for truckload freight. Rates have moved higher week over week since the start of July, an unusual pattern as volumes tend to diminish and dry van capacity typically loosens from now through to early October.
Watch for imbalanced freight networks: Contract and spot prices have not moved in sync as they normally do. Spot rates have risen faster since May and are now close to contract rates for all three major equipment types. This is a direct result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which points to more inconsistent freight volumes and unbalanced carrier networks in the short-term as shippers send more loads to the spot market to meet erratic demand and carriers increasingly become more selective about the contract loads they haul.
Retail van freight volumes: Average spot van rates were higher on 65 of DAT’s top 100 lanes by volume compared to the previous week while the volume of loads increased on 90 lanes. Pricing edged higher in several key retail freight hubs compared to the previous week.
Rail freight moves downward
U.S. freight railroads reported 481,597 carloads and intermodal units during the week ending July 18, an 8.5 percent decrease compared with volumes during the same week in 2019, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.
Carloads fell 15.7 percent to 214,685 units, while intermodal units dipped just 1.7 percent to 266,912 containers and trailers.
Only one of 10 carload commodity groups logged an increase: Miscellaneous loads rose 212 carloads to 10,782. Commodity group decreases included coal, down 22,464 carloads to 56,202; metallic ores and metals, down 6,659 carloads to 15,766; and nonmetallic minerals, down 6,108 carloads, to 30,986.
For the first 29 weeks of 2020 compared with the same period in 2019, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 13,068,254 carloads, containers and trailers, down 12.8 percent.
At Wagner Logistics
During this period of summer many people are taking badly needed vacation time. At Wagner, we are busier than ever as our customers business surges and growth continues.
It’s during these periods when cross training is imperative to maintain performance. With people afraid to come to work coupled with people who need to decompress through vacation time, it is challenging. My hat is of to our managers and HR team who juggle this balancing act.
New projects continue to come our way and for that, I am very grateful.
What may Wagner Logistics do for you? We have an extensive history of 74 years of service to our customers and would love the opportunity to collaborate with you.
As we say every day, Bring it!
Have a great day!
John Wagner Jr.
About Wagner Logistics
Wagner Logistics was founded in 1946 on the principle that every customer is a big deal and that continues to pervade our mentality, producing a superior customer experience. The company began in trucking and remains dynamic offering top-notch transportation, dedicated warehousing and robust fulfillment services. We strive to produce innovative solutions, in addition to our superior onboarding process which makes transitions seamless, and have been honored 20 years in a row by Inbound Logistics as a Top 100 3PL. Our customers drive our entry into new geographic markets, technological advances and ever-changing distribution challenges. Where do you want to be? Wagner says, Bring It!


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Amid a backlash against foreign investors, some executives are banned from leaving the country
The Camry, last overhauled for the 2011 model year, just got another face-lift
Laws require companies to pay state taxes on sheltered profits
Financial filings reveal the pay package Henrique de Castro received upon exit from the company.
Wal-Mart's new money transfers shows how the retailer can use its reach to push down costs
Skipping Rocks Lab develops a green alternative to all that plastic
Alessandro Borgognone wooed Japanese chef Daisuke Nakazawa to open the four-star New York eatery
Administrators quashed their food delivery service. Now they're focusing on other colleges
Prices are low, but there’s plenty of red tape
The Honda Skydeck is slightly larger than the company's current offerings, seating up to six passengers. Design features of the concept car include scissor-doors that open skywards and a space-saving, minimalist interior. Honda isn't saying if or when it will launch a production version of the Skydeck. However, the company has indicated it plans to launch hybrids in the future.


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Holiday Cheer Brings Busiest Mailing Day of the Year
COLUMBIA - Monday is expected to be the busiest mailing day of the year for the United States Postal Service.
The USPS will ship nearly 607 pieces of mail including cards and letters across the country Monday - that's more than double the average daily amount.
Postmaster Mark Rask said the Columbia Post Office will mail about half a million cards and letters and about 25,000 packages Monday.
"People were doing their Christmas cards over the weekend and they want to get them in the mail hoping that they'll get out and get to family members this week or for sure the beginning of next week," said Rask.
Rask said the crowd at the Post Office Monday was slightly larger than last year.
"We're going to see today [Monday], quite a few people out there. We're staffed accordingly to keep folks moving through the line in four minutes or less. We have our elf working out there to help folks with the APC, the Automated Postal Center, where you can just go and utilize that without having to wait in line," said Rask.
Rask said more than four million cards and letters are expected to be mailed in the region of central and northeastern Missouri and central and southern Illinois Monday.
The U.S. Postal Service expects to deliver around 14.7 billion letters, packages and cards total between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve. Nationwide, the busiest delivery day will be Dec. 19.
If you have a package to mail, go to the Columbia Post Office or visit USPS.com.


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(autoinsidernews) - General Motors has shown interest in acquiring Malaysian automaker Proton, according to Reuters reports citing Malaysia's Second Finance Minister Nor Mohamed Yakcop. Proton is losing local market share and struggling in foreign markets against South Korean and Japanese automakers. GM could use Proton's production facilities to build low-cost cars.
Let me put it this way; GM has shown interest in Proton, and if they put in a bid we will consider it, said Nor Mohamed. There are three of them now who are foreign companies that are interested and they come in different forms and proposals. Now we are finalising the discussions and the comparisons, they are not identical interests.
Initial discussions have ended, and the government is now evaluating the proposals and will make a decision soon, reports Trend.
Proton is mostly known in the U.S. for its acquisition of sportscar maker Lotus in 1996.


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TOKYO, May 18 (Reuters) - Japan's Panasonic Corp, a top supplier of battery cells to Tesla Inc, reported a 28.6% drop in annual operating profit and did not issue an earnings forecast for the current year due to uncertainty about the impact of the coronavirus.
Panasonic joined a number of Japanese electronics companies that have refrained from providing forecasts, including Sony Corp and Canon Inc, as the virus outbreak hits electronics demand globally.
Operating profit for the year ended in March came in at 293.75 billion yen ($2.74 billion), in line with an average estimate of 295.3 billion yen profit drawn from 17 analysts polled by Refinitiv.
Analysts have forecast an average 225.46 billion yen profit for the current financial year. ($1 = 107.1900 yen) (Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)


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Jamshedpur, Oct 14: The Food, Public Distribution and Consumer affairs minister of Jharkhand, Saryu Rai gave a presentation on wide possibilities of setting up food processing industry in the state at the Anuga Food Fair considered as world´s leading food fair for the retail trade, in Cologne City of Germany.
At the round table meet organized by German Engineering Association-VDMA were companies related with food processing technology participated along with Union minister for food processing Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
While giving presentation, Saryu Rai said, “There are wide possibilities of setting up food processing industries in Jharkhand. Cultivation of various types of vegetables is done in widespread area in the state, which is also sent to other states of the country.
The atmosphere here is very conducive for cultivation of pear and cashews”, Rai added. Inviting Germany’s food processing industries to Jharkhand, MLA said, on the lines of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ the state government is promoting ‘Make in Jharkhand’.
Minister said that to support investment in the state, government has taken several steps like simplification of processing rules, make departments online and single window system.
He further said that Jharkhand govt are giving exemption and incentives in the industrial policy to boost promotion. The representatives of the company present at the meet seemed convinced by the presentation.
At the meet officers and representatives of central and state government along with Director of Payoma Industries, maker behind the brand Rasna.


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is now available at over 130 countries around the globe.
Bancshares "will not be a bank holding company anymore.
are categorized as either core or non-core assets, according to executive vice-president of business development and corporate affairs, John Valley.
Family forest owners have generally been bystanders to the dramatic transformations in industrial timberland
ownership, but they are inevitably being drawn into the vortex.
We have used the timberland
figures in the artwork spots that appear at the beginning of each of the articles here, because only in that component are the figures complete enough to permit accurate comparison among the forest-ownership categories.
If you own common stock in Timberland
and wish to obtain additional information, please contact Joseph E.
VF is targeting 10% annual revenue growth for Timberland
has recognized Earth Day with community service events for 11 consecutive years; this year, Timberland
-hosted Earth Day events will unite more than 8,000 volunteers at more than 150 events around the world, generating nearly 50,000 service hours.
PRO([R]) BLACK series unites the traditional craftsmanship and quality that the Timberland
PRO name embodies, but incorporates specific technologies that allow for safe and confident mobility in service environments.
Part of Timberland
's strategic push into international markets, the new site offers UK shoppers the ability to buy Timberland
products directly from the web.
Company (NYSE: TBL) today announced that it has entered into a five-year licensing agreement with Phillips-Van Heusen (NYSE: PVH) for the design, sourcing and marketing of apparel in North America under the Timberland
([R]) brand, beginning with the Fall 2008 line.
He has helped me position Timberland
for long term success in many ways," said Jeff Swartz, President and Chief Executive Officer.
The acquisition of Longview's timberlands
will significantly expand our timberland
asset management operations and solidify our position as the fourth largest owner/manager of timberlands
in North America by value.
Company (NYSE:TBL) intends to report its results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2006 prior to the market open on Thursday, February 8, 2007.
Company (NYSE: TBL) today announced that it has acquired Howies Limited, an active sports brand founded on the idea of designing and manufacturing clothing for the inspired action sports and outdoor customer.


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Shipping is a tedious matter these days and as such it’s a market full of potential. There is no surprise then, that the shipping sector has no dearth of ambitious start-ups who have found a foothold in an increasingly competitive market, giving courier services like DHL and UPS a run for their money.
Shipster is on of those startups. In fact, it’s the poster boy of shipping startups. After being launched to great success in the Big Apple, Shipster is launching in San Francisco today. The company basically revolves around the idea of reducing the time overheads that come associated with traditional means of shipping. While they may not be as important to consumers, business are planets in a solar system where shipping is the Sun. This is exactly what Shipster’s target market is: business companies.
Shipster is already shipping 11000 packages a month for a wide variety of business customers which include tech startups and high-end, designer clothing companies. The company claims that it will pick up any thing that needs to be shipped, be it a small document or your dining table, within 20 minutes. It has arrangements with all major shipping companies like Fed Ex and UPS and a team of contractor agents on bikes, cars, pickup vans, in order to cater for the variety of items they ship.
What set Shipster apart is its smart routing algorithm which helps it decide what the fastest means of shipping an item is, given its type, size, and destination. Their smartphone app provides features like tracking the location and status of your packages.
The company is not alone in this market though. There are competitors. Shyp and Dropoff are some of the more noteworthy ones having recently secured fairly generous amounts of funding. Shipster founder, Christian Viczaino isn’t concerned though, instead he’s concentrating on his dream: to make Shipster the fastest shipping company in the world.


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InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) claims it will become the largest luxury hotel operator in the UK, following a deal with French company Foncière des Régions (FDR).
It follows the £858 million acquisition of the Principal hotel group by FDR from the US-based Starwood Capital Group.
The agreement will see IHG rebrand and operate 12 upmarket hotels and one property in the pipeline.
The hotels currently operate under the Principal Hotels and De Vere Hotels brands.
The hotel chain said: “This deal will establish IHG as the leading luxury hotel operator in the UK, taking it to more than 2,000 rooms in this valuable, fast growing segment.
“It will expand the presence for the InterContinental brand, and enable IHG to launch its leading luxury boutique brand, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants in the UK, adding multiple hotels for the brand in prime locations in major city centres, including London, Manchester and Edinburgh.”
It said the deal will also establish a presence for IHG’s new upscale brand, which will be launched later this year.
Keith Barr, IHG chief executive, said: “We are focused on continuing to expand our leadership in luxury and upscale, which are both high-value segments with significant growth potential.
“Bringing Kimpton to such an important market as the UK is a key part of our plans, as is the introduction of our new upscale brand, which will provide an exciting, differentiated offering to both guests and owners.”
The hotels in the deal are:
The Principal London
The Principal Edinburgh Charlotte Square
The Principal Edinburgh George Street
The Principal Met Hotel (Leeds)
The Principal York
De Vere Oxford Thames
The Grand Birmingham (pipeline)
The Principal Manchester
The Principal Blythswood Square (Glasgow)
The Principal Grand Central (Glasgow)
The Principal St David’s (Cardiff)
The Principal Oxford Spires
De Vere Wotton House
Pictured: Hotel Principal York.


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Image: Visual China
BEIJING, January 7, 2022 (TMTPOST) — Multinational tech giant Microsoft announced on Friday that Chinese smart electric vehicle brand Xpeng Motors has upgraded its voice assistant for vehicles with the support of TTS (Text to Speech), a neural network based on Microsoft Azure.
Owners of Xpeng Motors P7 model in China can now upgrade their vehicle’s voice assistant to equip it with a “human voice” through OTA (over the air) upgrade. The new voice assistant is named XPILOT. Xpeng Motors is also planning to bring XPILOT to other EV models in the future through OTA upgrade.
Microsoft’s technological advancement in speech, natural language processing and machine translation in the past few years has enabled the company to make drastic improvements in voice assistant technology in coherence, fluency and quality.
After integrating the new technologies to Azure, Microsoft starts to support startup companies like Xpeng Motors to improve the user experience for the consumers.
It reportedly took Microsoft and Xpeng Motors several months to solve three major challenges in TTS application.
Microsoft and Xpeng Motors first solved the issue of network jitters that could appear in the use of vehicles. Xpeng Motors built a multi-level cache architecture to ensure the smooth operation of high-quality TTS function. The multi-level cache architecture allows the system to preset and cache high-quality speech files, which drastically reduces the system’s reliance on network connection.
The two companies then moved on to work on ensuring XPILOT can deliver a human-like voice without taking up too much system resources. Xpeng Motors made use of Microsoft Azure’s cache and compression features and reduce speech files to 24KHz and 16 bits, significantly reducing XPILOT’s demand for data networks and vehicle computing power.
In addition, Microsoft and Xpeng Motors worked on improving speech accuracy and reducing the ambiguity of the generated speeches.
"This is a cutting-edge exploration of vehicle voice interaction in the auto industry," said Hao Chao, a Senior Expert with XPENG Motors AI Products. “It required months of dedicated work by our team to overcome the challenges, and now delivers a whole new level of natural speech. With a deep understanding of urban mobility, we are finding many more scenarios to leverage AI technology for a high level of driver-machine intuition.”
“With advancements in research and technology, Azure Cognitive Services like vision and speech, will play a pivotal role in defining unique in-vehicle experiences,” said Sanjay Ravi, General Manager, Automotive, Mobility, and Transportation Industry at Microsoft. “With speech as a primary interaction tool within the vehicle, Microsoft’s custom neural voice services enable automakers to develop their own differentiated and authentic branded experiences.”
Besides Xpeng Motors, Microsoft would also establish cooperation with several other automakers on intelligence vehicle development.


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Guest columnists Mike Sells and Chris Reykdal argue that the state's unemployment insurance reform should include benefits for the children of unemployed workers. Extra money in the household budgets of the unemployed quickly returns to the economy as families buy necessities.
WASHINGTON state’s unemployment insurance system can, and should, come to the aid of both employers and the unemployed during this unprecedented economic downturn. Now is exactly the right time to spur economic growth by helping struggling families with bolstered unemployment assistance.
We disagree with the Times’ editorial criticizing the majority of the members on the House Labor and Workforce Development Committee who voted to give unemployment beneficiaries $15 a week for each dependent child [“State in no shape to offer new benefit,’ Opinion, Jan. 30].
Besides leaving out the fact that the bill the Democratic contingent passed contains a $300 million tax reduction for employers, the editorial also failed to mention the details in the governor’s proposal.
To qualify for $98 million in federal funds, the state must either enhance training benefits or offer a dependent allowance. Gov. Chris Gregoire’s increased training component would benefit only 1,900 more unemployed workers. With more than 324,000 Washington workers receiving unemployment insurance, that’s hardly a drop in the bucket.
Compare that with proposals to give unemployed workers an increased allowance, which would benefit all of the state’s families whose wage-earners can’t find work in this economy. These families, struggling to buy food or clothes or school supplies, will take that money and head to the nearest grocery and clothing stores to buy the necessities. And they, in turn, keep that store afloat.
The money that pays for this benefit doesn’t come from the state’s operating budget, which pays for education, health care and law enforcement. It comes from a separate trust fund. And at nearly $2.5 billion, our unemployment insurance trust fund is the healthiest in the nation.
At a time when 30 other states have depleted their funds and are relying on the federal government to bail them out, Washington’s system is a testament to smart planning and responsible governing.
That’s why we can afford to draw down our fund with a tax benefit to businesses and a small bit of help for struggling families. We can support our businesses and our fellow citizens while other states propose huge new business-tax increases to replenish their trust funds.
It is well-established economic fact that the quickest and most effective way to funnel money back to businesses is to put it in the pockets of those who need it most — the families who have lost their employment. Our plan is a shot in the arm to our economy, more so than any other, including tax breaks.
Let’s face it, what businesses need now more than anything is business. They need consumers shopping in their stores and buying their services.
There are few places where we will have the ability to bolster our state’s social-safety net in this biennial budget. Currently, the proposals before us are still in flux as we weigh their merits. But what is absolutely certain is that we must find some balance between tax benefits for businesses and benefits for the unemployed.
Mike Sells, left, represents the 38th Legislative District and chairs the House Labor & Workforce Development Committee. Chris Reykdal represents the 22nd Legislative District and is vice chair of the committee.


text: A former Samsung manager has admitted in court that he leaked information about Apple’s iPad tablet to members of an expert network and a hedge fund before the device was launched. While testifying at the insider trading trial of Primary Global Research LLC executive James Fleishman, ex-Samsung manager Suk-Joo Hwang told jurors that he had been paid $38,000 to share information about Apple’s iPad before the device was announced in 2010. “One particular thing I remember vividly was that I talked about the shipment numbers of Apple, it was about iPad,” Hwang testified. “This is in December 2009, before it came out with the tablet PC, they didn’t know the name then, so I talked to them about the tablet shipment estimates in that meeting.” PGR’s Fleishman allegedly took the information he was given about Apple’s upcoming device and fed it to the firm’s hedge fund clients, a practice that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has taken a particular interest in of late. Hwang was granted immunity in exchange for his testimony.


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Nintendo and its legal teams have some cause for celebration today, especially the latter once they submit their billable hours. Nintendo of America has announced another patent victory in California, while Nintendo of Europe has been tackling mod-chips and 'game copiers' in Italy. There's enough material here for a slightly dull but earnestly-made straight-to-TV legal drama film.
Let's start in North America, where the imaginatively named Technology Properties Limited LLC - along with Phoenix Digital Solutions LLC and Patriot Scientific Corporation - has lost for a second time to the big N. It previously made claims against the cameras of the 3DS and DSi, and it seems that despite losing in early 2014 those companies simply tweaked the claims and moved on to the California federal court. The outcome has been the same, though, with Nintendo prevailing and the 3DS / Wii U being cleared - Ajay Singh, Nintendo of America's Director of Litigation and Compliance, said the following.
We are very pleased with this decision, which again confirmed that Nintendo's products do not infringe. It also confirms that Nintendo continues to develop unique and innovative products while respecting the intellectual property rights of others. Nintendo will defend its products and its innovations, even if it must do so multiple times in different places and over many years.
Nintendo of Europe is also keen to be in on the fun, so has celebrated a win in Italy - namely the First Instance Tribunal of Milan - which has reaffirmed the purpose of various mod chips and "game copiers", while confirming that Nintendo's security on its hardware is "fully proportionate and therefore protected under Italian copyright law". In other words, it's still illegal to buy or sell R4 cards etc in Italy, with Nintendo's press release saying the following.
It is unlawful to import and sell circumvention devices under Italian law and sellers could face criminal sentences and fines as well as hefty damages. Nintendo's advice to its fans is "don't fund piracy by purchasing these devices and stay out of the business of selling them".
So there you have it, victory Lattes all around for Nintendo's legal teams.